It's A New Game In Town
Published on February 17, 2010 under American Association (AA)
Sioux Falls Canaries News Release
Sioux Falls, SD--Sioux Falls Sports LLC, the ownership group of the Sioux Falls Canaries and Sioux Falls Stampede, made two major announcements at a press conference this afternoon concerning the Sioux Falls Canaries Baseball Club.
Sioux Falls Sports announced the baseball club has reached a multi-year agreement with Ovations Food Services to manage all food and beverage services at Sioux Falls Stadium. Ovations has extensive experience in managing some of the nation's most preeminent convention and entertainment centers. Over the past seven years, Ovations has hosted successful food and entertainment experiences for major sporting events such as the NCAA Final Four, Triple and Double A All-Star Series, the World Series, Super Bowls, NBA playoffs and Stanley Cup Finals. Ovations is a subsidiary of Global-Comcast, which is the management firm of the Sioux Falls Convention Center.
"We talked to a number of companies in the industry and Ovations shared the vision of what we were looking for at the stadium, said Gary Weckwerth, CEO and Managing Partner of Sioux Falls Sports.
"It was important to us to find a company that would enhance the dining experience at the stadium, improve the quality of the food and most importantly maintain affordability. Ovations not only accepted the challenge, they provided us with exciting new ideas that they will implement this season from a new beer garden off the main entrance, invent various varieties of food stations, create a Tiki Bar in the picnic area and improve the right field gathering area with a fireplace and grilling experiences."
Sioux Falls Sports also announced that they have officially changed the name of the franchise from the Canaries to the "Fighting Pheasants." Weckwerth unveiled the team logos for the Pheasants at the press conference. The logos were designed by Insight Marketing of Sioux Falls. Fans can view the logos by visiting www.sfpheasants.com.
"We felt the time was right to give the franchise a new identity," said Weckwerth. "Naming the club the "Fighting Pheasants" brings more identity to our state for obvious reasons. The Canaries have historical baseball value in Sioux Falls, but it really didn't show an identity of our state, where the popularity of pheasant hunting does. It also keeps the baseball lore in place because of the Aberdeen Pheasants, the former Baltimore Orioles minor league affiliate. We also felt it is one of the great sports names that didn't exist and something the people of Sioux Falls and the state of South Dakota can identify with.plus the pheasant is just a lot tougher and meaner bird! We hope that toughness carries over to championships!"
The Sioux Falls Fighting Pheasants open American Association play, at home, on Thursday, May 13 at 7:05 PM against the defending league champion Lincoln Salt Dogs.
American Association Stories from February 17, 2010
- It's A New Game In Town - Sioux Falls Canaries
- Diablos To Hold Local Tryouts - El Paso Diablos
- Pels Trade To Add Power And Speed To Lineup - Pensacola Pelicans
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
